The survey of 1,405 registered voters was conducted from October 10-14, with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.

The results follow two other polls on the tax-cut issue that were conducted in July — just a few weeks after a new state budget was signed into law – that also showed broader support for the Democrats’ position than the governor’s.

“It’s been obscured by the focus on the presidential election, but taxes remain a live New Jersey issue,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “In the tax cut debate, Christie’s vote-to-cut-now plan loses to the legislative Democrats’ wait-and-see position.”

Christie, a Republican, has been pressing lawmakers to enact immediate income tax relief for much of 2012, saying first that it would add fuel to the “Jersey Comeback” economic recovery, and more recently – as the state’s unemployment rate has surged to near 10 percent – it would help fix the New Jersey job market.

Democrats, meanwhile, were close to striking a deal with governor on the income tax issue during the spring, but pulled back after unemployment rose and state tax collections started failing to meet Christie’s budget projections.

The first survey on the tax-cut issue was conducted by Quinnipiac, which found a 49 percent to 43 percent margin in favor of the Democrats’ approach. Monmouth University Polling Institute followed up with its own survey, finding the margin had moved to 54 percent to 37 percent.

The new Quinnipiac survey found overwhelming support for each party’s respective position on the tax cut, but a much closer 47 percent to 44 percent gap in favor of the Democrats’ stance among independents.

Christie has maintained his push for the income tax relief – which would be tied to the property tax bills paid by those earning up to $400,000 annually – during his town hall-style public events, including Tuesday’s stop in West Milford.

“If they think that we don’t have the money, how about we spend less on something else so you get the money back,” Christie said.

“All they care about is spending the money,” he said. “That’s why taxes have gone up as much as they have.”

And despite his inability to gain any ground on the tax cut issue since the summer, the new poll shows Christie’s own popularity remains high, with 56 percent of voters approving of his job performance.

“The governor’s call for immediately implementing a tax cut is irresponsible and blaming Democrats is hypocritical,” said Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck. “It’s our plan but the responsible thing to do is wait to see if we have the money to pay for it.”

“The truth is, it’s the governor’s fiscal failures that have put the plan at risk,” she said.

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The Bloggers

Melissa Hayes, who has worked at The Record since 2010, covers Gov. Chris Christie and politics for the State House Bureau. Follow her on Twitter at @Record_Melissa. View all of her posts

Herb Jackson is the Washington correspondent for The Record, covering North Jersey issues on the Potomac, including the activities of the congressional delegation and federal policies that affect the region. Follow him on Twitter @Record_DC.View all of his posts.

Salvador Rizzo covers politics for The Record’s State House bureau, with a focus on financial issues and the state budget, and legal issues in the New Jersey courts. Follow him on Twitter @rizzoTK.View all of his posts.

Charles Stile is the political columnist for The Record. He is a former State House Bureau chief at The Record and has covered politics and government in New Jersey for more than two decades. Follow him on Twitter @PoliticalStile. View all of his posts